The Angel Who Lived
by romanianphantom
Summary: Christine always knew she was different. Upon her 16th birthday, Christine receives a letter to Hogwarts School, learning that she is a witch. Now at Hogwarts, Christine soon learns who she is and the dangers that will follow her. But with Erik by her side to protector her, she is ready to face the dangers ahead as the evils from the past come back. (Phantom meets Harry Potter)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Good evening everyone or good morning! Who is ready for a new story? yes, I am starting 2 new stories, first one should be uploaded before this one. If you can't tell from the title of this story, this is Phantom meets Harry Potter. Anyone excited?**_

_**This story is going to be M rated, there will be some mature scenes. As always, I will warn you ahead of time for those chapters. There will be lots of fighting scene mainly. I'm not going to say whether this story has a happy ending or not, you'll just have to wait and see. **_

_**I hope you guys enjoy the story**_

Chap 1: The Girl Who Lived

_The loud cry echoed throughout the house as the life left her body. The lifeless body on the floor, the eyes now dull of light. The dark figure turned his attention to the baby that was sitting in the crib across the room. Ignoring the cries, he slowly walked towards the baby. His wand already aiming for his next target. Lifting the wand up, the words about to escape from his mouth when a loud roar stopped him. He backed away just as the wall came crashing down. The sight of the large dragon sent a fear down the figure's spine. _

"_No..." He whispered to himself. He watched as the large wing shielded the infant from him. The pair of great golden eyes glared at the figure, sending it's warning to him. The figure slowly started to back away, signalling defeat. Before vanishing, he whispered something that the dragon heard, sending a loud roar out as the figure vanished. Now alone with the child, the dragon turned its head to gaze at the baby. The small pair of brown eyes looked up, locking it eyes with the dragons. _

"_Forever will you have my protection." He said through thoughts to her, vowing his protection to her. Innocently raising her hand, he put his head closer until his snout touched her small hand. In that moment, their fates were bonded together. He would protect her and one day, when she is ready, she will learn the truth..._

Darkness fell over the small town, only the street lamps provided some light. Moving quietly down the street, he reached the street he wanted. Reaching into his clock, he pulled out his wand and lifted it up to the street lamp. Without saying anything, the light from the lamp vanished. Moving his wand to the other one, the light vanished as well. Soon the street was dark from the lack of light. Lowering his wand, he heard a meow. Glancing down, he spotted a cat sitting by the bus stop.

"I should have known you would be here...Professor McGonagall." He spoke to the cat as if it were a person. Hearing its name, the cat started walking towards the man. As it got closer, the cat started to transform into a human...a woman.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore." She greeted the headmaster as she approached him. They soon began to walk down the dark street. "Are the rumors true?" She asked. He could sense the fear in her voice.

"I'm afraid so; the good and the bad." He answered.

"And the girl?" She asked.

"Hagrid and Erik are bringing her." Dumbledore answered. "She is well safe with them." He assured her just as they heard a slight road above them. Looking up, they could see the large dragon flying closer to them until landing several yards in front of them. Lifting one of its wings, a tall man appeared, cradling a small baby in it's arm.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir. Professor McGonagall." He greeted them as he walked up to them, letting the dragon transform into a human.

"No troubles, I assume."

"No sir." Hagrid answered. "The little one fell asleep just shortly after we took off." Approaching them, he carefully handed Dumbledore the baby. Taking her in his arms, he turned to head to the house they were standing in front of.

"Albus, do you think it's safe, leaving the girl with them?" McGonagall asked as they walked up the driveway. "I've watched them all, they are the worst sorts of muggles imagined."

"They're the only family she has." He said to her as they reached the front door.

"This girl will be famous. There won't a child in our world that doesn't know her name."

"She's far better off staying away from all of that...until she's ready." Dumbledore gently put the sleeping baby on the front step. Taking out a letter, he softly put it on the sleeping form. Standing back up, he looked down at the sleeping baby. Hearing a sniff, he turned to see Hagrid wiping a tear away. "There, there Hagrid. It's not really goodbye after all." He assured the giant. Nodding, he turned so not to keep crying. Erik stood quietly in the back, his eyes locking on the sleeping baby. Hearing Dumbledore saying his goodbyes for now, he knew they would be leaving now. "Erik..." Dumbledore said his name as they left the house. "...until she's ready, she cannot know." He said to him. Nodding, he understood. Glancing one last time at her, he closed his eyes as he transformed back into a dragon and flew off. He would wait until she was ready and until then, he would let her live her life.

**Reviews are welcome : )**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Birthday Present

The nightmares were always the same. The loud painful scream...the bright flash of light...the pair of eyes. Though it's been almost 16 years, she can still remember those clear as day. The images and sounds would make her toss and turn all night until she would wake up, panting as if she just ran a marathon. There have been many sleepless nights due to nightmares. She never talked about the nightmares, knowing they wouldn't care. No one cared, it was always just her.

For once she didn't wake up to the nightmares but to the loud banging at the door. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she heard her aunt telling her to get up, banging on the door still. Yawning, she sat up and reached for the string to turn the small light on. She knew what day it was and was dreading it. Heading footsteps above, she knew her cousin was up.

"_Wake up, Christine! We're going to the zoo!_" He shouted above her. Knowing he was close, she quickly tried to get out of the small room. Not moving quick enough, he beat her to her door and pushed her back in and slammed the door before running into the kitchen. Getting up and running her head, she defeatedly walked into the kitchen. Her aunt was gushing over her cousin who's birthday it was. When they saw her, she ordered Christine to finish making the breakfast. Only nodding, she walked over to the stove and checked on the bacon strips in the pan.

"Hurry up. Bring my coffee." Her uncle demanded. Grabbing a mug, she quickly poured him coffee and brought it over to him before going back to the stove. She tried to ignore her cousin's yelling when he didn't get a lot of presents. They spoiled him and it clearly showed. Now her cousin was in a mood and she'd have to spend the day at the zoo with them.

Christine always liked it whenever they went somewhere. She always liked going to the zoo and seeing all the animals. They always fascinated her for whatever reason. She'd always try and look at their eyes. Like she was trying to find the gold pair of eyes from her dreams. But none were as golden or big as she recalled.

"Let's go in here!" Her cousin practically ran into the reptile house. Following behind, she wandered around the building. Stopping at the python exhibit, she leaned against the railing. Her family gathered around to look at the sleeping snake. "Make him move." Her cousin demanded. Her uncle tapped on the glass, hoping it would stir the snake but he remained motionless. Losing his patience, Her cousin banged on the glass and yelled.

"He's sleeping." Christine barked out at her cousin.

"He's boring." They walked away, leaving Christine alone with the snake.

"Sorry about him." She spoke to the snake as if the snake understood what she was saying. "He doesn't understand what it's like. Laying there every day..." The snake opened its eyes and lifted its head to look at her, as if listening to her. Christine's mouth dropped slightly. "Can you hear me?" Flicking its tongue out, the snake nodded. Now Christine was more shocked than ever. "I-I've never to snakes before. Do you talk to people?" The snake shook its head. "Were you born here or somewhere else?" She asked it. Turning its head, Christine followed its direction to see the sign that read 'Raised in captivity'. "I see..." She looked back at the snake who slithered closer. "...looks like we both don't know who are parents are." Tilting its head, Christine watched the snake. Her cousin suddenly came running over, pushing Christine out of the way. Scrambling up, she glared at her cousin. For a split second, she wished the glass would disappear. In that split second, the glass suddenly vanished and her cousin fell into the exhibit. Christine's mouth dropped as the snake hissed at her cousin as it slithered out and right to her.

"_Thanksssss."_ It spoke to her.

"M-My pleasure..." She could only say as she watched it slither away, frightening everyone around. Focusing on the snake, she didn't notice her cousin's panic cries until her aunt screamed. Her cousin was trapped inside the exhibit; the glass reappeared and trapped her cousin inside. She couldn't help but laugh at her cousin. However, her uncle noticed and slowly walked towards her. Her smile quickly disappeared as she realized she was in trouble. She quickly dreaded whenever they would get back to the house.

About a week later from the zoo incident, Christine stared at herself in the mirror. The baggy clothes swallowed her, the colors dull. Sighing, she knew this was what she was getting. Her cousin was going to some fancy school while she was stuck going to a public school. Though it meant she wouldn't have to deal with her cousin, she wished for once they treated her equal to her cousin.

"Go get the post!" Her aunt yelled at her from downstairs. Quickly getting out of the uniform and back into her worn out clothes, she headed downstairs and over to the front door were three letters were on the floor. Picking them up and going through each other, the last one had her name on it. Looking at it more closely, her eyes widen as she noticed how the address was directly to her. Taking the letter and heading into the kitchen, she handed the two letters to her uncle and kept hers. About to open it, her cousin quickly grabbed it from her.

"Christine got a letter!" He shouted.

"Hey, it's mine! Give it back!" She yelled back.

"Yours?" Her uncle laughed. "Who'd be writing to you?" He looked down at the letter. Christine noticed how his smile went into a concerned frown. She slowly watched her letter being crumpled and ripped apart. Her uncle ordered her not to pick up the post anymore. Over the next few days, more letters for Christine and each letter would be either ripped up or placed in the fireplace. Christine spent most of her time in her room, either reading and drawing. She wasn't allowed out much, though she couldn't understand why. She was curious what those letters contained but she figured she would never know.

On a sudden whim, her uncle decided that they would take a holiday somewhere. He didn't say where, all that she knew if that he said it would be somewhere far away where they can't find them. Christine was curious as to who her uncle was talking about, but was afraid to ask. So they packed up and headed out on holiday...to a creepy old house on a small island in the middle of the ocean. There was barely any furniture so Christine had to sleep on the dusty floor while her cousin got the couch. On the night before her birthday, Christine stayed up all night. She drew a birthday cake in the dust and waited till midnight. Glancing over at her cousin's watch, she waited until it beeped at midnight. Looking back down at the dusty birthday cake, she sighed.

"Make a wish, Christine..." She said to herself. Closing her eyes, she made her wish and blew out the candles.

_THUD! _The loud bang made her jump as well as her cousin. _THUD! _Something was banging against the door. Her cousin quickly got off the couch and backed away. Christine hid in the corner as her uncle and aunt came down the steps. _THUD!_

"W-Who's there?" Her uncle asked, his voice shaking. One last bang and the door came flew open, landing on the ground. Everyone screamed as a large figure, taller than the doorway, entered the room. Straightening back up, he put something back in his coat.

"My apologizes." The figure politely said as he turned around to put the door back up.

"I demand you leave at once sir." Her uncle try to demand the tall man. "You are breaking and entering." The man walked over to her uncle and aunt, staring at them.

"Dry up Dursley, you great prune." He grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, bend it till the muzzle was facing upward. The gun shot off, causing everyone to jump but him. Turning around, the man searched the room. "Where's Christine?" He asked. Christine took a shaky breath before appearing in front of him.

"I-I am..."

"Boy, I haven't seen you since you were a baby." He said to her. Her eyebrows frowned at him. "I got something for you." He reached into his coat and pulled out a box. "Afraid I may have sat on it a little but I imagine it tastes the same." Taking the box from him, she opened it to reveal a birthday cake. Her face light up at it.

"Thank you." She said with a smile. It was the first birthday cake she ever gotten.

"Happy Birthday, Christine." He says as he sits down on the couch. Pulling out a pink umbrella, he points it to the empty fireplace. Two sparks fly out of it, lighting the wood on fire. Christine's mouth drops as she puts the cake down.

"Excuse me...but who are you?" She asked him. She didn't know how he knew her.

"Rubeus Hagrid." He answers. "Keepers of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. But you know all about Hogwarts." He looked at her.

"What's Hogwarts?" Christine asked. She had never heard of that place or whatever it was. Hagrid narrowed his eyes as he looked at the young girl.

"No? Didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned?" He asked her.

"Learned what?" She asked again, confused. Taking a moment, he leaned in closer.

"You're a witch, Christine.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Diagon Alley

"I-I'm a what?" Christine asked, not believing what he said.

"A witch. A good one, once you train up a little." He said back.

"No no no, there must be a mistake." She shook her head. "I can't be a w-witch. I mean, I'm just CHristine...just Christine." She tried convincing him and herself that she wasn't a witch.

"Well 'Just Christine'... did you mean anything happen?" He asked her. "Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or...scared?" Christine's mind went back to the day at the zoo with the whole snake thing. Hagrid noticed the look on her face and stood up. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a letter and handed it to her. Taking it, she opened it up to read it.

"_Dear Miss Potter,_

_We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School and Witchcraft and Wizardry..." _She read out loud, now believing it.

"You will not be going!" Her uncle interrupted. "We swore when we took her, we would take a stop at this."

"You knew?" She asked. "You knew all this time and you never told me?" She looked at her aunt.

"Of course we knew. How could we not know?" She scoffed. "My parents were so...proud the day she got her letter. 'We have a witch in the family. It's wonderful.'" She repeated what they said years ago. "I was the only one who saw her for what she was...a freak! And she meet that Potter and had you. And I knew you'd be just as strange and abnormal as her." She looked disgustingly at Christine. "She went and gotten herself blown up. And we are stuck with you."

"Blown up?" Christine repeated. "You said they got killed in a car crash."

"A car crash?" Harris repeated, making Christine look at him. "A car crash killed Gustave and Lily Potter? It's an outrage!"

"She will not be going." Her uncle trying challenging Hagrid.

"Oh ho ho..." He chuckled. "And I suppose a great muggle like yourself is gonna stop him."

"Muggle?" Christine asked, confused.

"Non magic folk." Hagrid quickly answered before turning his attention back to her uncle and aunt. "This girl's had her name on the list ever since she was born!" His voice rose. "She'll attend one of the finest schools in the world and she'll have the best headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen...Albus Dumbledore."

"I'll not have some crack fool teach her magic!" Her uncle insulted. Lifting the umbrella to her uncle, Hagrid's eyes darken.

"Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me." He threatened. The room went quiet for a moment. The only sound was that of someone eating...someone eating the cake. Turning his head, pointing the umbrella and suddenly, a pig's tail appeared on her cousin. The room lit up with frantic screams, but Christine and Hagrid only laughed. "Oh...I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts. I'd be dragon dinner if someone found out." Christine nodded. "Time to go..." He said as he walked to the door and pulled it down. Looking back at the girl, he tilted his head. "Unless you rather stay..." Turning back around, he headed out. Christine paused for a moment, her mind going back and forth. Without a second thought, she grabbed her flannel and follow Hagrid.

Walking down the street, Christine looked at the list of things she would need to get. She didn't know any store that carried the things. Looking up at Hagrid, he told her that he knows where to take her for her school supplies. What she didn't expect was that they arrived at a pub. Going inside, the pub was busy with people.

"Ah Hagrid, the usual?" A man behind the bar asked.

"No thanks. I'm on an official Hogwarts business." He nodded down to the girl standing in front of him. "Just helping young Christine buy her school supplies."

"Oh my god...it's Christine Potter." The man said and all conversations stopped. All eyes turned to her and Christine suddenly wanted to hide from all the eyes on her.

"Welcome back, Miss Potter." One man shook her hand.

"C-CHristine P-Potter. Can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you." A man got off his chair and approached her.

"Hello Professor, I didn't see you that." Hagrid said. "Christine, this is Professor Quirll. He'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts." He introduced him.

"Nice to meet you." She said as she held out her hand. She noticed how he glanced at her hand and pulled his back as if protecting it. Hagrid seemed to notice as well.

"Well, we best be going. Lots to buy." H chuckled awkwardly.

"Goodbye Professor." Christine politely said as Hagrid led her away and into the back room.

"See Christine, you're famous." He said, opening a door that led to the back of the pub.

"But why? How do they all know who I am?" She asked him.

"I'm not sure I'm the right person to tell you." He said before tapping his umbrella against some of the bricks. Suddenly, the bricks started pulling apart from each other. Christine stepped back as they pulled farther apart, revealing a hidden world. Christine's mouth dropped. "Welcome Christine to Diagon Alley." He said as Christine stepped forward. The alley was buzzing with wizards and witches, all chatting and buying. Stores were on either side of the cobblestone street. She could barely hear Hagrid pointing out some stores where she could get some things. One store had birds while another had brooms. It was truly amazing and unreal.

After a creepy visit to the bank and seeing how much her parents left her with, Christine started her shopping. Hagrid helped her grab most of the things, the others she would get at Hogwarts. Leaving the bookstore, she looked at her list.

"Looks like a wand is all I need." She said to Hagrid.

"Olive Anders..." He pointed to the wand shop. "There's no place better. Why do you go there and I'll meet you there in a bit?" Nodding, she headed over to the shop. Entering, she noticed the cobwebs covering the shelves that were fully of wands.

"Hello?" She walked over to the counter. "Is there anyone here?" Hearing something, she jumped when a man suddenly appeared.

"I wondered when I would be seeing you Miss Potter." He said as he climbed down the latter. Walking over to a shelf, he started browsing at the collection. "Seems only yesterday that your parents were in buying their first wands..." Grabbing a box, he pulled it out and handed the wand to her. Gently taking it, she stared at it. "Well give it a wave." He said.

"O-Oh..." Waving it, boxes started flying off the shelves and onto the floor.

"Apparently not..." He calmly said as Christine gently put the wand down. Searching again, he gave her another one. His glass vase suddenly broke. "No, no, no..." He shook his head and started again. Pulling out a box, he looked at it and paused. "I wonder..." Christine narrowed her eyes as he approached her and handed the wand to her. Taking it, she felt light coming from it and a burst a wind. "Curious...very curious..."

"Sorry, but what's curious?" She asked.

"I remember every wand I ever sold, Miss Potter." He said. "It just so happens that dragon who's scale was put into this gave another scale...just two others. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand...when one of it's brother gave you your scar and the other saved you." Hearing this, Christine wondered how he knew that, especially how he knew about her scar.

"And who owned that wand?" She asked. "The one who killed my parents."

"We do not speak his name." He said. "He did great things, terrible things."

"What about the other?" She asked. Before he could say anything, a tapping sound caught their attention. Turning, she saw Hagrid standing by the window. Hearing him say something, she noticed him holding a cage up. A cage with a beautiful white snow owl. "Wow..." She said with a smile. Quickly buying the wand, she went outside to meet with Hagrid and finish their shopping.

Later that night, they checked into the Leaky Cauldron, the pub that also was a hotel for witches and wizards. Hagrid ordered some food for them and they sat at one of the tables. Christine hardly touched her food, just starting it. Her mind was going back to what Oliver said early.

"You alright, Christine?" Hagrid asked.

"He killed my parents, didn't he?" She asked him. Now Hagrid was quiet. "The one who gave me this..." She touched the scar that was on the back of her neck. "I know you know, Hagrid." Sighing, he pushed his food away.

"First, now understand this Christine because it's very important...not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad. Years ago, there was one who went as bad as you can. His name was V..." He couldn't pronounce it. Glancing around, he leaned in close. "Voldemort..." He whispered.

"Voldemort?" Christine repeated.

"Shhhh!" They glanced around, but no one seemed to hear them. "It was dark times, Christine, dark times..." Hagrid sighed as he continued. "Voldemort started gathering followers, bring them over to the dark side. Anyone that stood against him ended up dead." He paused. "Your parents fought against him...but he decided to kill them." Memories started flashing through Christine's mind. _That scream...was that my mother's? _She thought.

"Why didn't he kill me?" She asked. "If no one lived who fought against him, why did he spare me?"

"Did he say to you about the third wand that has the same dragon scale?" Hagrid asked, making Christine nod. "He spared you because of the owner of that third wand." _The owner with the golden eyes..._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Who is ready for Erik to be back in the story?**_

Chapter 4: Hogwarts

Finding an empty cart, Christine sat down on the cushion and stared out the window. She still couldn't believe she was about to go to Hogwarts. After Hagrid helped her to Platform 9 3/4, he said he would see her at Hogwarts. Now she was waiting for the train to start it's journey. Pulling out a book, she opened it to start reading as she felt the train leave the station. Focusing on her book, she didn't realize how long she was reading until she heard someone knocking on the glass.

"Excuse me?" She looked up to see a boy standing there. "Would you mind if I sit with you?" He asked. "Everywhere else is full."

"Of course." She said with a welcoming smile. He nodded and sat down across from her.

"Thank you." He said. "I'm Raoul. Raoul Welsey." He introduced himself.

"I'm Christine Potter." His eyes widen.

"It's true then..." He said more quietly. "Do you really have the scar?" She asked.

"Oh..." She turned around and moved her hair out of the way to show the lightning shaped scar on the back of her neck.

"Wicked." Smiling, she turned back to face him. "Does it hurt?" He asked.

"Not really." She answered as a woman with a food cart approached their cart.

"Anything off the trolley?" She asked them.

"No, thanks." Raoul said, holding up his squashed sandwich. "I'm set." Christine started at the sandwich and reached into her bag, pulling out her change bag.

"What do you want? It's on me." She said, taking out several gold coins. Raoul's eyes widen. They nearly took half of the food, but they didn't care. Their stomachs would be very happy.

As the train made its journey to Hogwarts, Christine and Raoul stuffed their stomachs with food and filled their cart with chatter. Raoul told her about his four older brothers and his younger sister. Three of his brothers are currently at Hogwarts while the oldest in Romania, studying dragons. His younger sister will be coming to Hogwarts next year. He learned about Christine's 'family' and wished her a belated birthday.

"You know any spells so far?" Raoul asked her.

"No." Her cheeks blushed. She probably was the only one who didn't know any spells.

"I'll show you one." He pulled out his want. Clearing his voice, their attention to the girl now standing in the doorway. She looked around the cart and sighed.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" She asked them. "A boy name Neville lost his."

"No." Raoul answered.

"Oh you're doing magic?" She quickly changed the topic. "Let's see." Raoul looked at Christine who shrugged. Clearing his voice, he tried remembering a spell that his older brothers taught him. The two girls watched as Raoul's wand just sparked and that's it. "Are you sure that's a real spell? It's not very good. I mean, I've only tried simpler ones, but they've all worked for me." Pulling out her want, she walked over and sat down next to Christine. Pointing her wand to Christine, she spoke something in Latin and suddenly Christine felt her hair moving. Reaching behind, she felt her hair was now in a french braid. Brushing it forward to look at it, her scar was now in view. "Oh my god, you're Christine Potter." Christine looked at the girl now. "I'm Meg Gruber." She turned to Raoul. "And you are...?"

"Raoul."

"Pleasure." She looked back at Christine. "You two better get into robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Standing up, she walked out of the cart. Christine stared at Raoul who just shrugged. Listening to her, they quickly found their dress robes and changed in them.

Hogwarts was nothing like Christine imagined it was. She figured it would like one of the college campuses she would sometimes see. But nope, completely different. It looked more like a castle, standing tall above the water. Christine's mouth stayed open as they got closer and even entered the castle. They followed someone until reaching a large staircase.

"Head up and you'll meet with a professor." The person said. Following the instruction, the group climbed the staircase until reaching the top where a woman was standing there. Stopping at the top of the stairs, they gathered around the large double doors.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She said. "Now in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you take your seats, you will sorted into your houses." She explained the four houses and a few rules. "Wait here please." She turned and disappeared through the doors. Christine stood next to Raoul as people began to talk.

"It's true then, what they said on the train." A voice rang out. "Christine Potter has come to Hogwarts." Now all whispers were about her. Christine and Raoul looked over to a girl with bright red hair leaning against the railing. "This is Piangi and Phillip." She motioned to the two boys behind her. "And I'm Carlotta." She walked over to stand in Christine. "Carlotta Malfoy." Raoul smirked. She glared at him. "Let me guess, you must be a Welsey." Turning back to Christine. "You'll soon learn that some wizard families are better than others. You don't want to make friends with the wrong sort." She hinted to Raoul. "I can help you there." She held out her hand. Glancing down and then back up, Christine smirked.

"I think I'll be good." She said. About to say something, the professor came back and tapped Carlotta on the shoulder. She quickly got back in line.

"We're ready for you now, follow me." She turned and the double doors opened to reveal a grand dining room. Four long tables filled with students ran along the long room. Looking up, the ceiling looked like it was open, revealing the night sky. Looking all around, she almost walked into Raoul when he stopped at the front. "Now before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words." All eyes were on the man who stood up. His grey beard almost hitting the ground.

"I have a few starting rules I wish to point out." He spoke. "First years please note, that dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also our caretaker, Mr. Filch..." He motioned to the man standing in the back. "...as me to remind you. That the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds. Last thing, this castle is guarded and ask that you please respect the guardians." He finished. "Thank you." He said. Professor McGonagall rolled out a scroll and instructed each student to come up when called to be sorted. As she read off the names, Christine looked around at all the professors sitting at the U-shaped table.

Her eyes stopped when they were met with a pair of piercing almost golden eyes. They stared back at her, making her gasp as she felt the air leave her lungs. A memory flashed in front of her eyes, the memory the large pair of golden eyes staring at her.

"_Forever will you have my protection..." _The deep voice whispered to her. How she suddenly remembered that, she didn't know. The man continued to stare at her, never leaving her eyes. Christine felt her heart race slightly. She was so focused on this stranger that she didn't hear her name being called. Someone nudged her forward, making her stumble forward to the chair. Swallowing, she sat down.

"Mmmm difficult, very difficult..." The sorting hat said out loud. "Where to put you?"

"Not Slytherian, not Slytherian..." She whispered.

"Not Slytherian?" He reaped. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know? And Slytherian would help you on the way to greatness." Christine shook her head. "No? Very well...better be...Gryffindor!" The table of Gryffindor rose and cheered. Sighing in relief, Christine walked over to the table and was greeted by a lot of hand shakes. Settling herself in the seat, she glanced at the man again. She could have sworn there was a hint of a smile on his face.

The moment she had walked into the room, his eyes were on her. He couldn't take them off. She was finally here. His heart started to feel like it was soaring. His soul feeling alive again. However, he knew her being here would bring danger. He had vowed to protect her as long as he lived and he was going to even if it eventually killed him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Classes Begin

The sun was barely up by the time he took to the sky. Stretching his wings, he lifted himself off the ground and glided across the sky. This was his favorite time to fly; just before the sun started peaking over the horizon. This was his peace before he would be grounded to patrol the hallways of Hogwarts. Last night Dumbledore had a meeting with him. Dumbledore knew that danger would try and come to Hogwarts and wanted Erik to be more present around the castle. Usually he hid away in the shadows or on the outside grounds when the weather was nice for students to be outside. But this year would be different, he would be more visible to the students. He even had more dragons assigned to protect Hogwarts. Usually it was him and two others, but now he had five others, including his Beta, Nadir. Though all six of them would protect Hogwarts and the students, Erik's main focus was to protect Christine.

Christine and Raoul ran down the empty hallways. They were late and they knew it. And they had no idea where they were going as well. Raoul had a sense of where their first class was, but wasn't completely sure. Turning a corner, they ran straight into something or someone and fell back to the ground. Their books scattered all over the ground now. Scrambling to her knees, Christine quickly tried to pick up her books. Sensing her heart start to race again, she looked up and saw the same man from last night, kneeling right in front of her and holding one of her books. Her body froze as she stared into his eyes.

"I believe this is yours." His voice, so deep and rich.

"U-Um...thank you." Christine's cheeks blushed as she went to take the book. Her fingers accidentally brushed along his. She gasped as she felt something shoot through her body and the book dropped again. More embarrassed now, she looked down at she grabbed her books and stood up. "T-Thank you again, sir." She said, not looking at him.

"Come on, Christine." Raoul said and they ran off to their class. Erik watched her go, waiting until she was no longer in his sight before continuing down the hallway with Nadir.

After Professor McGonagall threatened her and Raoul to be turned in a pocket watch, she knew not to be late for her class. Finding her seat, she opened her book and tried catching up to wherever the class was. Though everything was new to her, it was interesting. The next class was Potions with Professor Snape. And it is safe to say that Snape probably doesn't like her. She didn't know anything he asked unlike Meg who's hand raised at every question he asked. She knew she would have to do a lot of studying, more than usual. By the time lunch came, Christine's brain was fried.

"Oh don't worry about it." Raoul tried to cheer her up. "I'm sure it's not the first time Snape has done that to a student."

"Yeah but not everyone has famous parents like mine." She pointed out.

"True..." He shrugged. Sighing, she glanced down at the book in front of her. "What class is after lunch?" Raoul asked.

"Flying."

"Sweet, I can't wait." He said, focusing on the food now in front of him. As much as Raoul was looking forward to flying class, Christine wasn't. She sort of had a fear of heights and always liked being able to have both feet on the ground. After lunch ended, they headed outside for their flying class. Each of the got assigned a broom for the class and would use that broom for the year. They learned how to command the broom into their hands and even got to hover over the ground for a little bit. The hovering off the ground a few feet didn't scare Christine. It was the fact that she would have to fly higher than the castle at one point. She hoped she would get over her fear of heights before that.

As the days went by, Christine was slowly starting to feel comfortable with being a witch. She was practicing her spells, learning her potions and working on her fear of heights. She was no longer late for class but still wasn't Snape's favorite student. She even managed to avoid another run in with the mystery man with the gold eyes. Her heart was back to its regular beating. Maybe everything was going back to normal and she would be able to have a normal year?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Halloween

Fall has come to Hogwarts and the caste has been decorated for Halloween. Pumpkins lanterns hung down from the enchanted ceiling in the dining hall and other Halloween decorations were everywhere in the castle. Even the ghosts were getting into the spirit despite the holiday still at least two weeks away. Even lessons started having a Halloween twist on it. Snape taught students how to make a potion that would make anyone who drank it howl like a werewolf for 24 hours. Outside the castle, fall had come alive. The tree changed from their green to many shades of orange, yellow and red. The summer heat was gone and the cool fall had come. Hogwarts had welcomed fall and Halloween.

The night of Halloween, the castle was dark. The enchanted ceiling had thunder rolling, setting a spooky feeling to the people below. Creepy music was being played during dinner and everyone was in the holiday spirit. Christine, Meg and Raoul sat their table, talking about their past Halloween experiences. Christine never had gone trick or treating before or even dressed up for the holiday. She had missed out on basically all the holidays, but she liked that she was now experiencing them now.

"I wonder if they have something planned for tonight." Raoul said.

"What do you mean?" Christine asked.

"Like a haunted house or some monster escaping the dungeon and just walking around the halls, scaring everyone." Raoul answered.

"That is ridiculous. It's not going to happen." Meg said as she shook her head. Getting up, she walked towards the door and left to go to the bathroom.

"Fun ruiner." Raoul mumbled to himself. Rolling her eyes, Christine looked down at her food. Suddenly the doors opened and Professor Quirll ran inside.

"Troll! In the dungeon!" He yelled frantically. "Troll in the dungeon!" He stopped halfway, panting heavily. Dumbledore rose from his chair as well as Erik. "Thought you would want to know..." He said before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground. A crack of thunder send the room into chaos. Screams filled the room as students started rushing to the door.

"SILENCE!" The powerful voice commanded. All students stopped and looked at the owner of that voice. "Everyone please not panic!" He ordered. "Now...prefects will the house back to the dormitories." His voice went from loud and powerful to calm and still powerful. "Teachers will follow me and Dumbledore to the dungeon." With his order finished, the students started walking out of the dining hall, not longer shouting. Erik watched Christine rush out of the hall before turning to Nadir. "Lock the doors and have the others sweep the castle. Have two other fly over the grounds to see if he left the castle." Nadir nodded.

"What if he's outside?" He asked. "What shall we do?" He asked Erik. Whenever something like this happened, all power goes to Erik and his choice is final.

"Roast him." He answered coldly before turning. Nadir walked swiftly out of the hall to get the others their orders. Dumbledore took most of the professors with him, but Erik and Snape took a different route. If the troll was still on the loose, they would find before hopefully any student does.

Christine and Raoul followed the crowd of students as they headed to their dormitories. Percy, Raoul's older brother, told them to stay alert as they headed for safety.

"You had to say it, didn't you?" Christine said to Raoul.

"I wasn't serious. Plus how was I supposed to know that Hogwarts has a troll. They probably have other creatures down in the dungeon." Raoul went off. As they past the hallway to the girl's bathroom, Christine grabbed Raoul's arm. "What?"

"Meg! She doesn't know." Meg had left before Quirll had ran into the dining hall. The two started running down the hallway. Coming to a corner, they heard loud thuds. Peeking around the corner, they could see the large shadow of the troll as he headed straight for the girl's bathroom.

"I think we found the troll." Raoul said with his mouth dropped.

"It's going into the girl's bathroom." Christine whispered. "We've got to go and help Meg."

"How?" Raoul asked. "How do you expect us to even get by it alive?"

"Come on." She didn't answer but grabbed his arm and they headed after the bathroom. Getting to the door, they could hear Meg's scream inside. Opening it, the troll was standing over what was left of the bathroom stalls. Now just wood pieces on the ground, they tried to see if Meg was under them. Seeing some pieces move and blonde hair, Christine yelled at Meg to move. Grabbing broken pieces, they started throwing them at the troll, hoping to distract it.

"Hey! Pea Brain!" Raoul yelled as he threw a piece right at the trolls head. Turning towards the two of them, Meg took this chance to crawl to the sinks. Pulling her wand out of her robe, Christine hopped on the wooden club the troll used. Not expecting him to swing it down in front of his head, Christine slid down the club and onto the shoulders of the troll. Feeling the weight, the troll started jerking around, trying to knock Christine off. "Hang on!" Raoul shouted. Gripping onto his ears, Christine prayed she could hang on. At one point, her wand ended up shoved into his nose. "Ew..." Now more pissed over, the troll reached over to grab her leg and pulled her off of him. Holding her up, she hung down and knew she was in trouble. Seeing his club come for her, she curled up to avoid the powerful swing.

"Do something!" She shouted to either Meg or Raoul.

"What?" Raoul asked, wondering what he could do.

"Anything!" Christine yelled back, avoiding another swing. Pulling out his want, he aimed it for the club. "Hurry up!" Her body was getting tired, barely missing the swings. Quickly thinking, she managed to kick the troll's wrist with her free leg. Grunting, he dropped her. Scrambling on her feet, she made a run for the door, knowing the troll would go after her.

"Run Christine!" She heard Raoul's voice shout out her as she ran down the hallway away from the bathroom. The troll was right behind her, gaining distance with each step. She needed to find a professor or whoever the guardians were. Taking a turn, she spotted the courtyard and made a run for it. She had a moment to catch her breath before the troll broken through the columns and came running after her.

"Help!" She shouted as she turned to run again. She suddenly saw the man from earlier appear. He looked stunned before his face turned to rage. "Run!" She shouted to him. He seemed not to listen but run straight for it. Just before he would collide with her, he jumped over her and transformed into his dragon just as he collided with the troll. Pinning the troll beneath him with its paws, he let out a threatening growl to the creature under him. Christine had fell to the ground in order not to collide with Erik, but kept her head covered even after hearing a loud thud.

"Christine!" Looking up, she saw Professor McGonagall motioning her to come to her. Quickly getting up, she ran over to her. Quickly shielding her eyes, she escorted Christine away from the scene. She knew Christine wasn't ready to see Erik in this form. Leaving Erik to deal with the troll, she walked with Christine back to the dormitory where Meg and Raoul were waiting, along with Dumbledore.

"Oh thank god!" Meg ran over to give Christine a hug.

"Where is it, McGonagall?" Dumbledore asked.

"Erik is taking care of it." She answered.

"Erik?" Erik pulled away at the sound of his name. "Is that his name?" She looked up at the professor.

"Yes." She answered. "He is one of the guardians of the castle." Christine only nodded, remembering to have to thank him if she ever saw him again. After Christine explain what happened after she left the bathroom, Dumbledore applauded her for her courage to lead the troll away from her friends to save them. He award Gryffindor with 20 points and let them go to their rooms. Leaving the Gryffindor dormitory, Dumbledore and McGonagall went to the courtyard where they last seen the troll. Approaching the courtyard, there was no troll or dragon there. However, burnt grass was the evidence they needed of what happened to the troll. Looking up in the sky, they could see the dragons circling around the castle. This Halloween scare was now over.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Gift

"You sure you don't want to come with me for the holiday?" Raoul asked as they walked down the hallway towards the Great Hall.

"Yeah I'm sure, thanks though." Christine answered as they turned into the Great Hall. With the holiday season just around the corner, many of the students already left to head home for the holiday. There were a couple of students in the Great Hall, either eating or reading. With less students at the castle, the guardians could relax a little more. Two of them sat at one of the long tables, playing a game. As Christine and Raoul got closer, they noticed it was a chess game. Standing behind one of them, they watched the guardian make him move.

"Knight to E5." He said. They watched as the knight moved to the spot on the board.

"Queen to E5." The other guardian said with a smile on his face. They watched the queen move to the spot in front of the night. The queen got out of her chair and split the knight in halve with the chair.

"That's barbaric!" Christine exclaimed.

"That's wizards' chess." One of the guardians said back as he picked up the broken knight. "Give it a try." He moved over to allow Christine to sit down. Sitting down, she looked on the board, deciding her move. Smiling, she made her move.

"Bishop to E5." She said with a smile.

"Oh man." The guardian said as he watched the bishop kill the queen. Groaning, he grabbed the broken pieces and put them aside as he decided his move. "Beginner's luck." He mumbled. Christine smiled proudly as the other guardian and Raoul sat down to watch them game. The game continued for several more minutes until a powerful voice called out.

"Andre! George!" Christine jumped when the voice called out the names. All heads turned to the doorway where Erik was standing. He motioned his head for them to come.

"Duty calls." Andre said as he and George got up. "It was a pleasure Christine."

"Thank you for letting me join in the game." She stood up as well.

"You're welcome. You're welcome to play chess with us anytime." George said with a smile. "Enjoy the rest of your day." They headed over to the doorway to where Erik was waiting. Christine glanced over to the doorway, locking eyes with Erik. As usual, whenever she looked at him, she felt her heart start racing. He stared at her with those piercing eyes, making her breathe leave her lungs. Giving him a slight smile, he only nodded his nod slightly before turning and leaving the Great Hall with George and Andre.

Waking up Christmas morning, she glanced around the empty room she shared with a few of her classmates. Sighing, she grabbed her bathrobe and got out of bed. She was one of the few that stayed during the holiday break, minus the guardians. Walking down to the common room, she enjoyed the peace and quiet. Dumbledore has mentioned that there will be food in the Great Hall for the students who stayed at Hogwarts. Making her way to the Great Hall, she could hear a piano playing down the hall. Following the sound, she came to what she learned was the music room. Peering inside she spotted someone sitting at the piano, his back to her. She leaned against the door frame, listening to him play the instrument beautifully. When his voice began to sing, Christine swore her lungs stopped. _Why does that happen every time with him? _She thought as she listened to him sing. He already had a powerful voice, but when he sang...it was truly the most beautiful thing she ever heard. As he finished the song, Christine hoped he would play more. Taking a moment to stretch his fingers, he turned his head to glance at her. He had known she was there the whole time, having sensed it. She jumped when their eyes met.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I-I..." Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "I'll just go." She quickly said as she turned to run away. Running to the Great Hall, she let out a breath as she sat down at an empty plate. Not fazed when the plate suddenly filled with food, she started filling her stomach.

"Happy Christmas." Andre said as he walked past her. She smiled and wished him a happy Christmas as well. Looking around, she noticed more of the guardians around the room. They were all scattered about the large room, possibly enjoying their day off. Looking over the large Christmas tree, she noticed several presents sitting underneath. Sighing, she knew none for her. She had never gotten a Christmas present, always had to watch her cousin get them.

Pushing her plate away, Christine got up to walk over to the selection of dessert. Picking up a small plate, her eyes looked at all the options. Spotting a piece of cake, she tried reaching for it. Cursing herself for not being tall enough, she almost gave up until a hand grabbed the piece and placed it in front of her to take.

"Thank yo-oh." She looked to see Erik standing there. _Here come the feelings again, _she said to herself.

"You're welcome." He grabbed another piece for himself. "Enjoying your holiday?" He asked her.

"Um yes, thank you. Are you?" She tried not to focus on his eyes, the piercing gold orbits that look like he stole them from the sun.

"Christmas is always a wonderful holiday." He answered. "Did your family send you any gifts?"

"N-No..." She looked down with embarrassment.

"No?"

"I never got a Christmas present." She admitted. "Christmas is usually spent watching my cousin unwrap all the presents and then just spending it in my 'room' for the rest of the day."

"I'm sorry, Christine." She shrugged.

"It's okay." She picked up her plate. "Thank you." She smiled and walked back to her plate. Erik watched her before picking up his plate and heading for the door. Christine watched him walk out of the Great Hall, always seeming to be memorized by him. Shaking it off, she focused on the dessert plate in front of her. Once finished, she decided to head outside for a bit and enjoy the winter weather.

By nightfall, Christine headed up to her room to call it a night. She had enjoyed her Christmas, the best one she ever had. She had spent some time with the guardians, playing games. They had invited her to eat dinner with them. Now Christmas was almost over and she was ready to crawl into her bed. Coming up to her bed, she stopped when she spotted a small box wrapped with a ribbon on top sitting on her bed. Glancing around, she wondered who left it. Walking over, she picked up and sat down as she opened it. Reaching inside, she pulled out a gold chain with a scale attached. Placing on her palm, she looked at it closely. The scale was black with what looked a golden outline. It was beautiful. Unhooking the chain, she carefully put it around her neck. Looking in the box again, there was a note. Pulling it out, she unfolded it to read it:

_The gift of a dragon scale symbolizes the bond created by the dragon to another...a bond of protection and love_

_Merry Christmas Christine _

Glancing down at the scale now hanging from her neck, she wondered if what the note said was true. But she didn't know any dragons.

"Probably just a tale." She sighed. Though it was beautiful and the fact it was a gift, her first Christmas gift made it even more special. Smiling, she set the note next to the bed and crawled under the covers.

Outside and farther away, a pair of eyes watched as she drifted off to sleep. Turning his head away, he lowered his head to the spot where a scale was missing from his large body. Darting his tongue out to lick the healing skin, he knew it was worth it. Lowering his head to the ground, he closed his eyes and let sleep come to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Staying out of Trouble

With the holiday break over and classes resuming, Christine didn't think much of it. She still wore the necklace every day, rarely taking it off. She'd often stare at it during study hall sometimes instead of studying for finals.

"I can't believe you're playing with those cards. Final exams are coming up." Meg's voice brought Chrisitne back. Quickly tucking the necklace back in her shirt, she looked over to Raoul who was looking through his wizard cards.

"I'm ready for them. Ask me anything." He challenged Meg.

"What are the three ingrediants in a forgetful potion?" Meg asked. Raoul glanced down.

"I...forgot."

"See?"

"I'll just copy off of you." Raoul said.

"No you want. Besides, Professor McGonaguill will be giving us quills with an anti-cheating spell."

"How insulting? It's like they don't trust us at all." Raoul groaned. "Dumbledore again!" He threw the card down. Grabbing the card, Christine decided to look at it. Hearing some laughter, the group turned their heads to see Neville hopping into the great hall. All three knew who was responsible: Carlotta.

"You need to start standing up to people, Neville." Raoul told him.

"How? I can barely stand as it is." He almost fell over.

"I'll do the countercurse." Seamus stood up, wand ready.

"No no no..." Neville shook his head, trying to keep his balance. "That's all I need. I don't want my kneecaps on fire." Seamus slammed his wand down on the table.

"I don't appreciate the insinuation, Longbottom." He said loudly. "Besides, if anyone cares to notice, my eyebrows have grown back." Turning, he left the great hall. Noting the bald spot on the back of his head, Christine shook her head as she looked back at the card.

"Found him!" Christine said, giving the card to Raoul. Reading out loud, Raoul understood why Christine got excited. Realizing something, Meg grabbed her book and told them to follow her. Each grabbing their stuff, they ran out of the Great Hall.

"Wait! Where are you guys going?" He yelled after them. They didn't stop as they ran past Erik who was entering the Great Hall. Glancing at Christine's running form, he sighed and walked inside the GreatHall. "What about the countercurse?" He asked. Swaying, he tried to get his balance back. Losing his balance, he fell back. Rolling his eyes, Erik walked over to help Neville up and do the counter curse. Once Neville was free, Erik walked over to some guardians who were waiting for him.

Back in the library, Christine and Raoul were sitting at a table, waiting for Meg. Focusing on their potions notes, they jumped as a large book was slammed in front of them.

"I can't believe I had you guys look at the wrong section. I'm so stupid." She said as she sat down and opened the book. Skimming through the pages until finding it. "Here it is! Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone." She read out loud.

"The what?" Both of them repeated, confused.

"Seriously? Do you two even read?" She asked them. Not answering, Meg continued reading. Christine listened carefully as Meg read about the stone.

"So this stone makes a person immortal?" Raoul asked.

"That's why Fluffy is guarding it." Meg said. "A powerful stone needs protection and who better than a three headed dog?"

"I would think a dragon would protect it." Raoul commented.

"Come on, let's talk to Hagrid about it." Christine said to them. Agreeing, they gathered their stuff. They knew they wouldn't be able to talk to Hagrid until night which meant sneaking out after curfew.

Their attempt to see Hagrid ended up in detention after Carlotta caught them and ratted them out to Professor McGonghall. So all four were now heading over to Hagrid's hut to serve detention with him. All they knew was that they were going into the Forbidden Forest for something. Walking through the dark forest, they stayed very close to Hagrid. Stopping at one point, Hagrid knelt down. Tilting her head, she noticed silver liquid on his fingers.

"Um Hagrid...what is that?" She asked curiously. She tried to keep her racing heart calm but the fear of being in the dark forest was overwhelming. Under her uniform rope, her hands were shaking.

"What we're here for." He said, holding up his fingers to show them. "This is unicorn blood." He explains how he found one dead the other week and now they are going to try to find the one that's currently injured before it's killed. "Meg and Raoul, you'll come with me."

"O-Okay." Raoul's voice screamed of fear.

"And Christine, you go with Carlotta." Both girls rolled their eyes. Taking Fang, Hagrid's dog with them, they headed out. Sensing someone, Hagrid glanced up to notice dark figures flying above them. Knowing Christine was safe, he set out with Raoul and Meg.

Christine didn't know how much more of Carlotta's complaining. They've only been walking around for five minutes and Christine wished she knew a spell that would shut Carlotta up. As they walked farther, they suddenly stopped when they heard a growl. Glancing over, they froze at the sight of a dark figure kneeling down over a unicorn. I think we found it...Christine thought as she froze in place. Carlotta stepped back, breaking a twig. The figure lifted its head, seeing the two standing there and let out a growl. Screaming, Carlotta and Fang ran off to find Hagrid. Christine, too frozen with fear, stayed. Feeling a pain in the back of her neck, her body started slowly walking backwards. The figure in the dark cloak started walking towards her.

"Oh boy..." She said to herself as she tried to make her legs go faster, but they wouldn't. Tripping over a branch, she fell back. With the figure only a few feet away, she knew she was a goner. Suddenly, the loud sound of wood breaking echoed through the forest.

"Christine!" A loud voice rang out. Taking her eyes off the cloak figured, Christine looked up to see the tops of the trees falling to the ground all around her. She jumped when she heard a loud roar and noticed the figure starting to back away. Suddenly, a large black wing lowered and shielded her. Unable to see what was going on, she closed her eyes.

"Leave here!" The voice almost shouted again. Christine knew that voice; it was the voice she heard for years.

"Christine!" Turning, she saw a man standing there.

"Andre?" He motioned her to follow him. Shaking her head, her feet stayed planted where they were.

"Go with him..." The voice spoke softly this time. "You'll be safe..." Listening, she walked over to Andre who led her away. He told her to keep her eyes down, not wanting her to see the large dragon above them. Nodding, she kept her head down as they walked away. Once in the clear, she was able to look up. Soon she was back outside Hogwarts where Hagrid and the others were.

"Christine!" Meg ran over to hug her friend.

"Thank you Andre." Hagrid thanked him.

"Thank you." She said to Andre. "And...could you also tell..." she didn't know how to word it.

"I will tell him." Andre finished for her. Bidding them a good night, Andre turned to head back into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid led the students back inside Hogwarts.

Unable to sleep, Christine decided to get answers on what had happened in the forest. Quietly sneaking out of the dorm, she knew she could find Andre somewhere around the castle. Trying to be quiet and hiding in the shadows, she stopped when she heard voices.

"How could he just vanish?" A voice she knew all too well asked.

"I don't know Erik, but we searched the forest and we couldn't find him." Andre answered.

"Sir..." One of the guardians hesitated before asking. "Do you think it's Voldemort?" He asked Erik. There was a long pause before Erik answered.

"I believe so." Erik answered.

"But what is he doing here?" Another guardian asked. "Surely he wouldn't come after Christine."

"He knows we're here." Erik said. "He's too weak to go after her. The unicorn blood is barely keeping him alive."

"Then what's he after here?" Andre answered. "Even the stone is too heavy guarded to attempt to steal." Christine's eyes widened when he meant the stone. She knew he was after the stone.

"For whatever reason, we must keep an extra eye open. I want nightly..." No longer paying attention, Christine quickly sneaked away back to her dorm. She needed to let someone know.

After classes were done for the day, Christine had to tell Meg and Raoul what she overheard last night. Finding a spot in the courtyard away from everyone, she started explaining what the guardians were talking about.

"So you-know-who is alive?" Meg asked.

"Erik says he's too weak to attack. That's why he's after the unicorn blood." Christine explained. "That's why he's after the stone."

"The stone?" Raoul asked.

"He'll gain immortality again."

"And who knows what he'll do then." Meg commented. "But we are safe."

"How?" Raoul asked.

"Christine said that he wouldn't attack because of the guardians. As long as the guardians are around, we are all safe." Meg explained.

"But that won't stop him from getting to the stone." Christine added. "Even if it's guarded heavily, he could still take it."

"So what do we do?" Raoul asked.

"We steal the stone ourselves."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Checkmate

"You sure this is a good idea?" Raoul whispered as they headed down the stairs. Christine quickly tucked her necklace under her shirt, tapping it slightly.

"It's the only way to make sure he doesn't get the stone." Christine answered as they walked across the common room to the door. They stopped when they saw a certain toad.

"Trevor..." Meg rolled her eyes. "Trevor go." She whispered loudly. "You shouldn't be down here."

"Neither should you." Neville said as he appeared from the chair and stood up. "You guys are gonna get us in trouble again."

"Neville, listen..." Christine tried reasoning with him.

"No, we'll lose points again because of you." He broke his hands up, trying to control the shaking. "I-I'll fight you."

"Neville, I'm really really sorry, but..." Meg casted a spell on him. His whole body froze as he fell backwards onto the ground. Both Christine and Raoul stood there stunned and slightly worried. Swallowing, Raoul looked over at Meg as she put her wand back.

"Just saying, but you can be really scary sometimes." Raoul commented as they walked around Neville's body, apologizing to him. Once leaving the common room, Christine casted a spell to cast a light at the end of her wand to lead the way down the hallways. Trying to be quiet so they didn't get caught, they stayed close against the walls as they crept to the third floor.

Making it to the locked door, Meg quietly opened it and they quickly snuck in. Locking it behind them, they turned around to see the large heads, all sleeping and snoring. With one breath, Christine's hair blew into Raoul and Meg's faces. Moving the hair off her face, Meg knelt down to look at one of the heads.

"Definitely sleeping." She whispered as she stood up. Christine glanced over to the harp playing softly. "Guess he's already been here." Meg commented.

"Where is that door again?" Christine asked Meg. Looking around, she saw it under one of its paws. Sighing, all three quietly and slowly lifted its large paw, moving it just off the trap door. Opening it up, they knelt down to look down inside of it.

"Who's first?" Raoul asked, looking between Meg and Christine.

"I'll go down first." Christine said.

"Maybe one of us should say here, just in case." Meg suggested.

"Good idea." Christine paused when she realized how quiet it was. "Is it me or it is...too quiet in here?" She asked.

"The harp..." Meg said, all of them turning their heads to the now quiet instrument. "...it stopped playing." Suddenly, a large drop of slobber fell onto Raoul's shoulder.

"Oh gross!" He groaned and froze. Slowly, all three tilted their heads up to see three large heads, growling at them.

"Go!" Christine quickly jumped down the trap door. Meg and Raoul quickly followed just before one of the heads was able to bite on. Falling onto what looked like vines, they sighed in relief.

"Thank god this thing was here." Raoul commented as he looked down to see what they landed on. Shifting a little, they didn't notice the vines starting to come to life around them.

Suddenly seeing movement, Christine jumped as the vines started moving. Grabbing her legs, Christine tried to pull it off of her. As Christine and Raoul started panicking as the vines started wrapping around them, Meg stayed completely relaxed.

"Guys, you have to relax. This is Devil's Snare." She tried telling them.

"How I can relax at something that is named after the devil?" Raoul asked as he started squirming.

"Just relax. If you don't, it will kill you faster." Meg said.

"Oh that helps." Raoul said as he tried freeing himself. Sighing, Meg felt the vines underneath lower her. Christine and Raoul yelled her name as she disappeared underneath them.

"Now what do we do?" Raoul started panicking more.

"Just relax!" Meg shouted from below.

"Meg!" Christine called out.

"Just listen to me!" She yelled back. With no other choice, besiding dying, Christine tried to relax. Feeling the vines underneath give way, she was lowered until they dropped her on the ground next to Meg. "See I told you." She said as Christine stood up and both looked up to where Raoul was screaming. "He's not relaxing, is he?"

"Not really." Christine said back. Groaning, Meg tried thinking of something she can do.

"We went over Devil's Snare in class, remember?" She asked, but Christine stook her head. "What was it that the professor said?" She asked, more to herself. "Devil's Snare...something fun..." She tried to remember what their professor said. "Fun, fun, fun...what rhymes with fun?" She asked Christine.

"Fun? Uh...sun?"

"Sun that's it! Will sulk in the sun. They hate sunlight." Meg quickly grabbed her wand.

"How ironic." Christine commented as Meg casted a spell to shine light right around where Raoul was. Seconds later, Raoul was dropped below in front of them. Scrambling up, he brushed the dirt off.

"What would you two do without me?" Meg said, proudly putting away her wand again.

"Not have been almost killed by a troll." Christine answered, remembering Halloween.

"Be killed by Devil's Snare." Raoul answered as well. Shaking her head, she started walking towards the door that was a little further away. Following, Christine quickly checked to make sure her necklace was still around her neck. Feeling it still around her neck, she wasn't aware of the slight glow it was making.

Opening the door, they walked inside the dark room. Trying to be careful where they stepped and to not bump into anything, they tried to see if they could see anything. Lights suddenly flashed, revealing large statues and a two-toned floor. Glancing at the black and white statues, Raoul noticed something.

"What a minute?" He walked closer to one. Looking at it and then around, he realized something. "This is a chess board." Looking around, Meg and Christine realized it as well.

"What's the purpose of it though?" Meg asked. Shrugging, Raoul tried to walk past the pawns of the white team. Unsheathing their swords to block his way, Raoul stepped back. "Now what do we do?" She asked. "How do we get to that door?"

"We have to play chess and win." Raoul said. Looking around, he noticed a few pieces missing. "Meg, you be the queen's bishop." He told her. "Christine..." He looked to see what piece was missing that she could replace. "...you're the queen." She nodded. "And for me...I'll be a knight." Going to their spots on the board, Raoul mounted the horse statue.

"So...what exactly happens?" Meg asked.

"Well, white moves first and then...it's game on." Raoul answered. Looking ahead, they watched a white pawn move forward. Looking at his pawns, Raoul ordered a pawn to move out.

"Raoul...is this gonna be like wizard's chess?" Christine asked, remember how the game was played when she played with the guardians. Shrugging, Raoul and the girls watched as the white pawn unsheath its swords and swing at the black pawn, destroying it. Jumping, they ducked out of the way of the broken stone pieces.

"I think this is going to be exactly like it." Raoul said, stunned and a bit scared. Both girls looked at him with nervous and stunned looks, knowing that they could possibly be killed. With their fate in Raoul's hand, they waited as Raoul shouted out orders as the game went on. Meg, Christine and Raoul watched as statue after statue was getting destroyed by the other team. Most of the pawns were laying in pieces on the side, Raoul's other knight got stabbed with the white team's queen and the remaining were all scattered across the board.

Taking a moment to scan the board, Raoul tried to think of who to move and where. Glancing where the other team's king was and where Christine was, he knew he had to get their queen away. Realizing how it has to happen, he was starting to dread it.

"Okay, Christine..." She looked over to him, waiting to hear the plan. "I'm gonna make my move and the queen will come after me." He told her. "Then you take the king."

"What? No!" She protested.

"What's wrong?" Meg asked, confused.

"He's going to sacrifice himself." Christine answered.

"What? No!" Meg repeated. "There has to be another way!"

"Do you want us to win or not?" Raoul asked Meg. Sighing, Meg knew this was the only way. Raoul looked back at Christine who was still standing in the spot she was. "You're the one that has to go on." Nodding, Christine understood. Returning her nod, Raoul gathered his strength and ordered his order to the spot. Meg and Christine watched as Raoul moved to the spot. Slowly, the queen headed toward Raoul and moved to him. All three watched as she approached him. Using her sword, she stabbed it into the horse's side. Falling to the ground, pieces of stone fell all around him. Meg started going to him, but Christine yelled out.

"No! We're still playing!" Nodding, Meg stood still. Swallowing her fear, she moved to her spot where Raoul intended. Staring at the king, she stood tall. "Checkmate." The sword of the king fell and clashed onto the board. Waiting a minute in case he moved, she ran over to Raoul. Meg had ran over as well and both were kneeling next to him. "You guys go back and get him help. Send a message to Dumbledore as well. I'll go on." She told Meg.

"You'll be okay, right?" Meg asked, worried over her friend. "No matter what people say, you are a great witch."

"I wish. You're better than me." Christine said back. "You're smarter than me."

"Just textbook smart." Meg joked. "There's more important things that make a great witch, things that you already have." Christine tilted her head, not sure what she meant. "Friendship and bravery." Nodding, Christine understood. "Be careful." Nodding again, Christine got up and headed towards the door on the other side of the chess board. Meg watched as she opened it and walked through, praying she'll be okay.

Looking down at Raoul, Meg wondered how she was going to get Raoul back up top. Trying to wake him so they could walk, she heard some voices calling out. Looking up, she noticed three shadows in the distance. Narrowing her eyes, she called out to them.

"Oh thank god!" She sighed in relief as she saw Erik and two other guardians.

"What happened? Where's Christine?" He asked as he knelt next to Raoul.

"She went through there." Meg pointed to the door.

"Get these two out of here." He ordered as he rushed in the direction where Christine went to. Meg watched him disappear before leaving with the guardians.


End file.
